CN115339446A

CN115339446A - Driving support device

Info

Publication number: CN115339446A
Application number: CN202210431259.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 伊藤翔吾; 栃木康平; 近藤久美子; 川真田进也
Original assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Current assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Priority date: 2021-04-27
Filing date: 2022-04-22
Publication date: 2022-11-15
Also published as: US20220340131A1; JP2022169056A; EP4082855A1

Abstract

A driving assistance apparatus configured to perform deceleration assistance for a driver vehicle when the driver vehicle turns right or left at an intersection, configured to: identifying an adjacent vehicle that travels on an adjacent lane adjacent to a traveling lane of the driver vehicle based on a detection result from an external sensor of the driver vehicle; when an adjacent vehicle is identified and the driver vehicle turns right or left at the intersection, determining whether the adjacent vehicle turns in the same direction as the driver vehicle at the intersection based on a detection result from the external sensor; and performing deceleration assistance so that an inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle reaches a distance equal to or greater than a distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle, when the driving assistance means determines that the adjacent vehicle turns in the same direction.

Description

Driving assistance device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a driving assistance device.

Background

Japanese unexamined patent application publication No. 2010-221858 (JP 2010-221858A) is known as a technical document relating to a driving assistance apparatus. JP 2010-221858A discloses a driving assist device that assists deceleration of a driver's vehicle at a point a predetermined distance behind an intersection so that the driver's vehicle passes through the intersection at a set appropriate speed.

Disclosure of Invention

When a driver's vehicle enters an intersection from a road having multiple lanes and turns right or left, there may be neighboring vehicles entering the intersection. The driver may feel discomfort while assisting deceleration uniformly regardless of the presence of the adjacent vehicle.

A first aspect of the invention relates to a driving assistance apparatus configured to perform deceleration assistance for a driver's vehicle when the driver's vehicle turns right or left at an intersection. The driving assistance apparatus includes an adjacent vehicle identifier configured to identify an adjacent vehicle traveling on an adjacent lane adjacent to a traveling lane of the driver vehicle based on a detection result from an external sensor of the driver vehicle; an adjacent vehicle travel determiner configured to determine whether the adjacent vehicle turns in the same direction as the driver vehicle at the intersection, based on adjacent vehicle information acquired through inter-vehicle communication with the adjacent vehicle or a detection result from the external sensor, when the adjacent vehicle is identified by the adjacent vehicle identifier and the driver vehicle turns right or left at the intersection; and a deceleration assisting actuator configured to perform assisting deceleration so that an inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle in the traveling direction of the driver vehicle reaches a distance equal to or greater than a preset target inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle, when the adjacent vehicle traveling determiner determines that the adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the driver vehicle.

According to the first aspect, when it is determined that the adjacent vehicle turns right or left at the intersection while the driver vehicle turns right or left, the deceleration is assisted so that the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle reaches a distance equal to or greater than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle in the traveling direction of the driver vehicle. Therefore, compared to the case where deceleration is assisted without taking into consideration the adjacent vehicle, the driver's uncomfortable feeling of deceleration assistance can be reduced.

In the first aspect, the driving assistance apparatus may include: a preceding vehicle identifier configured to identify a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the driver vehicle based on a detection result from the external sensor; and a large vehicle determiner configured to determine whether the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle based on preceding vehicle information acquired through inter-vehicle communication with the preceding vehicle or a detection result from the external sensor when the preceding vehicle recognizer recognizes the preceding vehicle. The deceleration assisting executor may be configured to perform the assisting deceleration to increase a vehicle-to-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle when the large-vehicle determiner determines that the preceding vehicle is the large vehicle, as compared to a case where the large-vehicle determiner does not determine that the preceding vehicle is the large vehicle.

According to the above configuration, when it is determined that the preceding vehicle is the large vehicle while the driver vehicle turns right or left at the intersection, the deceleration is assisted to increase the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle in the traveling direction of the driver vehicle, as compared with the case where it is not determined that the preceding vehicle is the large vehicle. Therefore, compared to the case where deceleration is assisted without considering whether or not the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle, the driver's uncomfortable feeling with respect to deceleration assistance can be reduced.

In the first aspect, the driving assistance apparatus may include: a visibility condition determiner configured to determine whether a visibility deterioration situation occurs around the driver's vehicle based on at least one of an image taken by an external camera of the driver's vehicle, a wiper operation state of the driver's vehicle, a high beam illumination state of headlights of the driver's vehicle, weather information around the driver's vehicle acquired from the communication network, and traffic-related information around the driver's vehicle acquired from the communication network. The deceleration assisting actuator may be configured to reduce the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assisting when the visibility condition determiner determines that the visibility deteriorating situation occurs around the driver's vehicle, as compared to a case where the visibility condition determiner does not determine that the visibility deteriorating situation occurs around the driver's vehicle.

According to the above configuration, the drive assist device lowers the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assist when the visibility condition determiner determines that the visibility deterioration condition occurs around the driver's vehicle, as compared to the case where the visibility deterioration condition is not determined to occur around the driver's vehicle. Therefore, the driver's uncomfortable feeling of the deceleration assistance can be reduced as compared with the case where the visibility deterioration situation is not considered.

In the first aspect, the driving assistance apparatus may include: a crosswalk determiner configured to determine whether a crosswalk is present at a place to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left based on at least one of the map information and a position of the driver's vehicle on the map, a detection result from the external sensor, and traffic-related information around the driver's vehicle acquired from the communication network. The deceleration assistance executor may be configured to decrease the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assistance when the crosswalk determiner determines that there is a crosswalk at a point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left, as compared to a case where the crosswalk determiner does not determine that there is a crosswalk at the point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left.

According to the above configuration, the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assist is reduced when the crosswalk determiner determines that the crosswalk is present at the point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left, as compared to the case where it is not determined that the crosswalk is present at the point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left. Therefore, compared to a case where the presence of the crosswalk is not taken into consideration, the uncomfortable feeling of the driver for the deceleration assistance can be reduced.

In the first aspect, the driving assistance apparatus may include: an obstacle determiner configured to determine whether an obstacle is present at a place to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left, based on at least one of a detection result from the external sensor, surrounding environment information acquired through inter-vehicle communication with other vehicles around the driver's vehicle, and traffic-related information around the driver's vehicle acquired from the communication network. The deceleration assistance executor may be configured to reduce the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assistance when the obstacle determiner determines that the obstacle is present at the point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left, as compared to a case where the obstacle determiner does not determine that the obstacle is present at the point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left.

According to the above configuration, the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assist is reduced when the obstacle determiner determines that the obstacle is present at the point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left, as compared to the case where it is not determined that the obstacle is present at the point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left. Therefore, compared to a case where the presence of the obstacle is not considered, the driver can be less likely to feel uncomfortable with the deceleration assistance.

In the first aspect, the driving assistance apparatus may include: a driving operation detector configured to detect a driving operation of a driver of the driver vehicle; and an accelerator operation determiner configured to determine whether an accelerator release timing of the driver for a right or left turn at the intersection is earlier than a first timing threshold based on a position of the driver's vehicle on the map, the map information, and a detection result of a driving operation of the driver by the driving operation detector. The deceleration assist actuator may be configured to decrease the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assist when the accelerator operation determiner determines that the accelerator release timing is earlier than the first timing threshold, as compared to a case where the accelerator operation determiner does not determine that the accelerator release timing is earlier than the first timing threshold.

According to the above configuration, the target vehicle speed in deceleration assist is reduced when the accelerator operation determiner determines that the accelerator release timing is earlier than the first timing threshold, as compared to the case where it is not determined that the accelerator release timing is earlier than the first timing threshold. Therefore, the driver's uncomfortable feeling of the deceleration assistance can be reduced as compared with the case where the accelerator release timing is not considered.

In the first aspect, the driving assistance apparatus may include: a driving operation detector configured to detect at least an operation on a turn signal lamp as a driving operation of a driver of the driver vehicle; and a turn signal lamp operation determiner configured to determine whether or not a turn signal lamp operation time of the driver for a right turn or a left turn at the intersection is earlier than a second time threshold value based on a position of the driver's vehicle on the map, the map information, and a detection result of the operation of the driver on the turn signal lamp by the driving operation detector. The deceleration assistance actuator may be configured to decrease the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assistance when the turn signal operation determiner determines that the turn signal operation time is earlier than the second time threshold, as compared to a case where the turn signal operation determiner does not determine that the turn signal operation time is earlier than the second time threshold.

According to the above configuration, the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assistance is reduced when the turn signal operation determiner determines that the turn signal operation time is earlier than the second time threshold, as compared to the case where it is not determined that the turn signal operation time is earlier than the second time threshold. Therefore, the driver's uncomfortable feeling of the deceleration assistance can be reduced as compared with the case where the turn signal operation timing is not considered.

In the first aspect, the adjacent vehicle travel determiner may be configured to: determining whether the driver's vehicle is turning outside the adjacent vehicle or turning inside the adjacent vehicle when the adjacent vehicle travel determiner determines that the adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the driver's vehicle at the intersection; and determining whether the driver's vehicle is expected to pass through the intersection before the adjacent vehicle at a vehicle speed equal to or lower than a preset upper limit target vehicle speed, based on a detection result from the external sensor, when the adjacent vehicle travel determiner determines that the driver's vehicle turns outside the adjacent vehicle. The deceleration assist actuator is configured to adjust the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assist to cause the driver's vehicle to pass through the intersection before the adjacent vehicle when the adjacent vehicle travel determiner determines that the driver's vehicle is expected to pass through the intersection before the adjacent vehicle at a vehicle speed equal to or lower than the upper limit target vehicle speed.

According to the above configuration, when the adjacent vehicle travel determiner determines that the driver vehicle turns outside the adjacent vehicle and that the driver vehicle is expected to pass through the intersection before the adjacent vehicle at a vehicle speed equal to or lower than the upper limit target vehicle speed, the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assist is adjusted so that the driver vehicle passes through the intersection before the adjacent vehicle. Therefore, the occurrence of a situation in which the forward travel of the adjacent vehicle obstructs visibility of the driver vehicle when the driver vehicle turns outside the adjacent vehicle can be reduced.

According to the first aspect of the invention, the driver's uncomfortable feeling of the deceleration assistance at the time of right or left turn at the intersection can be reduced.

Drawings

Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements, and in which:

fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a driving assist apparatus according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the identification of adjacent vehicles;

fig. 3 is a plan view showing an example of a case where the driver vehicle recognizes a preceding vehicle;

fig. 4 is a plan view showing an example of a case where the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an example of a situation in which an adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the direction of the driver's vehicle;

fig. 6 is a plan view showing an example of a case where an adjacent vehicle travels in a direction different from the direction of the driver vehicle;

fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the deceleration assistance execution process;

fig. 8 is a flowchart showing continuation of the deceleration assistance execution process;

fig. 9 is a block diagram showing a driving assist device according to a second embodiment;

fig. 10 is a plan view showing an example of a case where the driver's vehicle turns outside the adjacent vehicle;

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a situation where a driver's vehicle turns at an intersection ahead of an adjacent vehicle;

fig. 12 is a plan view showing an example of a case where the driver's vehicle turns inside the adjacent vehicle;

fig. 13 is a flowchart showing continuation of the deceleration assistance execution process according to the second embodiment;

fig. 14A is a flowchart showing an example of visibility deterioration situation determination processing;

fig. 14B is a flowchart showing an example of the crosswalk determination process;

fig. 14C is a flowchart showing an example of the obstacle determination processing;

fig. 15A is a flowchart showing an example of the accelerator release determination process; and

fig. 15B is a flowchart showing an example of the turn signal lamp operation timing determination processing.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First embodiment

The driving assistance apparatus 100 shown in fig. 1 is mounted on a vehicle (driver vehicle) such as a passenger car, and assists a driver in driving the driver vehicle. The driving assist device 100 assists the driver's vehicle in decelerating when the driver's vehicle turns right or left at the intersection. The deceleration assist is a driving assist that decelerates the driver's vehicle according to the situation.

Configuration of the driving assistance apparatus of the first embodiment

The configuration of the driving assistance apparatus 100 will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in fig. 1, the driving assistance apparatus 100 includes a driving assistance Electronic Control Unit (ECU) 10 that centrally manages the apparatus. The driving assist ECU10 is an electronic control unit including a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), and the like. For example, the driving assist ECU10 realizes various functions by the CPU executing programs stored in the ROM. The driving assist ECU10 may be constituted by a plurality of electronic units.

The driving assist ECU10 is connected to a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver 1, an external sensor 2, an internal sensor 3, a driving operation detector (driving operation detection unit) 4, a map database 5, and an actuator 6.

The GPS receiver 1 measures the position of the driver's vehicle (e.g., the latitude and longitude of the driver's vehicle) by receiving signals from three or more GPS satellites. The GPS receiver 1 transmits information about the measured position of the driver's vehicle to the ECU 10. A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver may be used instead of the GPS receiver 1.

The external sensor 2 is a detection device that detects the situation around the driver's vehicle. The external sensor 2 includes at least one of an external camera and a radar sensor. The external camera is an imaging device that images a situation outside the driver's vehicle. For example, an exterior camera is disposed on the back side of the windshield of the driver's vehicle and images the scene in front of the driver's vehicle. The external camera transmits imaging information about the situation outside the driver's vehicle to the driving assist ECU 10. The external camera may be a monocular camera or a stereo camera.

The radar sensor is a detection device that detects an object around the driver's vehicle by using radio waves (for example, millimeter waves) or light. Examples of radar sensors include millimeter wave radar and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors. The radar sensor detects an object by transmitting radio waves or light to the surrounding environment of the driver's vehicle and receiving radio waves or light reflected by the object. The radar sensor transmits information about the detected object to the driving assist ECU 10.

The internal sensor 3 is a detection device that detects the running condition of the driver's vehicle. The interior sensors 3 include a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a yaw rate sensor. The vehicle speed sensor is a detector that detects the speed of the driver's vehicle. Examples of the vehicle speed sensor include a wheel speed sensor that is provided on each wheel of the driver's vehicle or a drive shaft that rotates together with the wheel and detects the rotational speed of the wheel. The vehicle speed sensor sends information about the detected vehicle speed (wheel speed) to the driving assist ECU 10.

The acceleration sensor is a detector that detects the acceleration of the driver's vehicle. The acceleration sensors include, for example, a longitudinal acceleration sensor that detects acceleration in the front-rear direction of the driver's vehicle and a lateral acceleration sensor that detects lateral acceleration of the driver's vehicle. For example, the acceleration sensor transmits information about the acceleration of the driver's vehicle to the driving assist ECU 10. The yaw rate sensor is a detector that detects a yaw rate (rotational angular velocity) with respect to a vertical axis of the center of gravity of the driver's vehicle. Examples of yaw rate sensors include a gyroscope sensor. The yaw rate sensor transmits information about the detected yaw rate of the driver's vehicle to the driving assist ECU 10.

The driving operation detector 4 is a detection device that detects a driving operation of the driver's vehicle by the driver. The driving operation detector 4 includes an accelerator pedal sensor or a turn signal lamp sensor. The driving operation detector 4 may include both an accelerator pedal sensor and a turn signal sensor, or a steering sensor, a brake pedal sensor, or a shift lever sensor.

The accelerator pedal sensor is provided, for example, on a shaft of an accelerator pedal, and detects a stepping force or a stepping amount (position of the accelerator pedal) of the accelerator pedal by a driver. The turn signal lamp sensor detects an operation (on/off operation) of a turn signal lamp by a driver. The turn signal light sensor may be provided, for example, on the operating lever of the turn signal light.

The brake pedal sensor is provided, for example, on a shaft of the brake pedal, and detects a stepping force or a stepping amount (position of the brake pedal) of the brake pedal by the driver. The steering sensor is provided, for example, on a steering shaft of a driver's vehicle, and detects a steering torque applied to a steering wheel by the driver. The shift lever sensor detects a shift position of the transmission.

The map database 5 stores map information. The map database 5 is built in a storage device such as a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) mounted on the driver's vehicle. The map information may include road position information, road shape information (e.g., a curve, a type of a straight portion, a curvature of a curve), position information of an intersection and a branch point, position information of a building, and the like. The map information may include information about traffic regulations, such as legal speed associated with location information. The map database 5 may be built into a server capable of communicating with the driver's vehicle.

The actuator 6 is a device for controlling the driver's vehicle. The actuator 6 includes at least a driving actuator and a braking actuator. The actuator 6 may comprise a steering actuator. The drive actuator controls the driving force of the driver's vehicle by controlling the amount of air (throttle opening) supplied to the engine in response to a control signal from the driving assist ECU 10. When the driver's vehicle is a hybrid electric vehicle, the driving force is controlled by inputting a control signal from the driving assist ECU10 to the motor serving as the power source, in addition to controlling the amount of air to be supplied to the engine. When the driver's vehicle is a battery electric vehicle, the driving force is controlled by inputting a control signal from the driving assist ECU10 to the motor serving as the power source. In this case, the motor serving as a power source constitutes the actuator 6.

The brake actuator controls the braking force applied to the wheels of the driver's vehicle by controlling the brake system in response to a control signal from the driving assist ECU 10. Examples of the brake system include a hydraulic brake system. The steering actuator controls driving of an assist motor that controls steering torque in the electric power steering system in response to a control signal from the driving assist ECU 10. Thus, the steering actuator controls the steering torque of the driver vehicle.

The communicator 7 acquires various types of information via a communication network such as the internet or a Vehicle Information and Communication System (VICS) (registered trademark). The communicator 7 acquires traffic-related information by communicating with a computer of a facility such as an information management center that manages traffic information. The traffic-related information includes information on a construction section on a road, information on an accident on the road, information on a road condition due to snow, and the like. The communicator 7 may acquire road information by road-to-vehicle communication with a roadside transceiver (e.g., an optical beacon or an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) point) provided at the roadside. The communicator 7 may have a vehicle-to-vehicle communication function.

Next, the functional configuration of the driving assist ECU10 will be described. As shown in fig. 1, the driving assistance ECU10 includes an intersection right/left turn determiner 11, an adjacent vehicle identifier (adjacent vehicle identifying unit) 12, an adjacent vehicle travel determiner (adjacent vehicle travel determining unit) 13, a preceding vehicle identifier (preceding vehicle identifying unit) 14, a large vehicle determiner (large vehicle determining unit) 15, and a deceleration assistance actuator (deceleration assistance performing unit) 16. The functions of the driving assist ECU10 described below may be partially performed in a server that can communicate with the driver's vehicle.

The intersection right/left turn determiner 11 identifies (detects) an intersection in front of the driver's vehicle. The intersection right/left turn determiner 11 identifies an intersection ahead of the driver's vehicle based on, for example, the position information of the driver's vehicle measured by the GPS receiver 1 and the map information in the map database 5.

The intersection right/left turn determiner 11 can identify the position of the driver's vehicle by a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) technique using not only the position information of the driver's vehicle measured by the GPS receiver 1 but also the position information of a building (landmark), such as a telegraph pole in the map information in the map database 5, and the detection result of the building by the external sensor 2. The intersection right/left turn determiner 11 can identify the intersection ahead of the driver's vehicle by the position information of the intersection acquired from the communication network via the communicator 7.

When an intersection ahead of the driver's vehicle is recognized, the intersection right/left turn determiner 11 determines whether the driver's vehicle turns right or left at the intersection. The intersection right/left turn determiner 11 determines whether the driver's vehicle turns right or left at the intersection based on the driving operation of the driver detected by the driving operation detector 4. The driving operation includes, for example, an operation (on/off operation) of a turn signal lamp. The driving operation may include steering by the driver, accelerator release by the driver releasing an accelerator pedal, a braking operation by the driver depressing a brake pedal, or a downshift operation.

The intersection right/left turn determiner 11 may determine that the driver's vehicle is turning right or left at the intersection when the driver's vehicle is moving right or left by the driver's turn while approaching the intersection. When the driver vehicle is moving to the right side of the lane or to the left side of the lane while approaching the intersection, the intersection right/left turn determiner 11 may determine that the driver vehicle is turning right or left at the intersection based on the accelerator release, the brake operation, or the downshift operation. The intersection right/left turn determiner 11 recognizes which of the right and left turns is made at the intersection based on the operation of the turn signal lamp or the steering of the driver.

The adjacent vehicle identifier 12 identifies an adjacent vehicle that travels on an adjacent lane adjacent to the traveling lane of the driver vehicle based on the detection result from the external sensor 2. For example, the adjacent vehicle identifier 12 identifies another vehicle that is traveling in the same direction as the direction of the driver vehicle on the side of the driver vehicle within an adjacent vehicle identification range preset with respect to the driver vehicle, as an adjacent vehicle.

The adjacent vehicle recognition range is set to, for example, a rectangular range with respect to the center of the front end of the driver vehicle. The adjacent vehicle recognition range may be set to a range of a predetermined lateral distance and a predetermined front-rear distance with respect to the center of the front end of the driver vehicle. The adjacent vehicle recognition range is not necessarily a rectangular range, but may be a range having an elliptical shape or other shapes. The adjacent vehicle recognition range may be set with respect to the center of the driver vehicle in a plan view or an arbitrary position in the driver vehicle.

The adjacent vehicle identifier 12 may determine an adjacent lane adjacent to a driving lane of the driver vehicle by using the position information and the map information of the driver vehicle. The adjacent vehicle identifier 12 combines the detection results from the external sensors 2 to identify another vehicle traveling on an adjacent lane as an adjacent vehicle.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the identification of an adjacent vehicle. The intersection T shown in fig. 2 is an intersection where roads having 3 lanes RA1 to RA3 on one side and roads having 2 lanes RB1 and RB2 on one side cross each other. The remaining lanes on the road with two lanes on one side are denoted by RC1 and RC 2.

Fig. 2 shows a driver vehicle M, another vehicle N1, and another vehicle (two-wheeled vehicle) N2. The driver vehicle M is traveling on a middle lane RA1 (traveling lane RA 1) of the three lanes. The other vehicle N1 is a four-wheeled vehicle that travels slightly ahead of the driver vehicle M on a lane RA2 adjacent to the right side of the lane RA1 (adjacent lane RA 2). The other vehicle N2 is a two-wheeled vehicle that travels behind the driver vehicle M on a lane RA3 adjacent to the left side of the lane RA1 (adjacent lane RA 3). Fig. 2 also shows the adjacent vehicle recognition range D of the driver vehicle M.

In the case shown in fig. 2, the adjacent vehicle identifier 12 identifies another vehicle N1 that is traveling on the lane RA2 and is partially included in the adjacent vehicle identification range D of the driver vehicle M as an adjacent vehicle. The adjacent vehicle identifier 12 does not identify another vehicle N2, which is not included in the adjacent vehicle identification range D, as an adjacent vehicle. The adjacent vehicle identifier 12 does not necessarily identify the adjacent vehicle by using the adjacent vehicle identification range. Various methods may be employed to identify neighboring vehicles.

When the adjacent vehicle identifier 12 identifies an adjacent vehicle and the driver vehicle turns right or left at the intersection, the adjacent vehicle travel determiner 13 determines whether the adjacent vehicle turns in the same direction as the direction of the driver vehicle at the intersection. The adjacent vehicle travel determiner 13 determines whether the adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the direction of the driver's vehicle, based on adjacent vehicle information acquired through inter-vehicle communication with the adjacent vehicle or a detection result from the external sensor 2.

The adjacent vehicle information is information on the adjacent vehicle obtained by inter-vehicle communication. The adjacent vehicle information includes at least one of steering by a driver of the adjacent vehicle, a yaw rate of the adjacent vehicle, an illumination state of a turn signal lamp, and navigation information (information on a traveling route guided by a navigation system). The adjacent vehicle running determiner 13 determines whether the adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the direction of the driver vehicle, based on, for example, adjacent vehicle information indicating the illuminated state of the turn signal lamp of the adjacent vehicle.

The adjacent vehicle running determiner 13 may determine whether the adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the direction of the driver's vehicle based on the detection result from the external sensor 2. The adjacent vehicle travel determiner 13 may determine whether the adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the direction of the driver's vehicle, for example, by recognizing the illumination of the turn signal lamps of the adjacent vehicle from the image taken by the exterior camera. The adjacent vehicle travel determiner 13 may determine whether the adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the direction of the driver vehicle based on a change in the direction or position of the adjacent vehicle detected by the radar sensor.

In the case shown in fig. 2, the adjacent vehicle travel determiner 13 determines that the adjacent vehicle N1 is turning in the same direction as the direction of the driver vehicle M (rightward direction), for example, by recognizing the illumination of the right turn signal lamp of the adjacent vehicle N1 from the image taken by the external camera of the driver vehicle M. In the situation shown in fig. 2, the driver vehicle M is expected to turn right from the lane RA1 to the lane RB1, and the adjacent vehicle N1 is expected to turn right from the lane RA2 to the lane RB2.

The preceding vehicle identifier 14 identifies a preceding vehicle that runs ahead of the driver vehicle based on the detection result from the external sensor 2. The preceding vehicle identifier 14 identifies the preceding vehicle through image recognition processing, for example, from an image captured by an external camera and showing a scene in front of the driver's vehicle. The preceding vehicle identifier 14 may identify a preceding vehicle located ahead of the driver vehicle based on the detection result from the radar sensor. The preceding vehicle recognition portion 14 recognizes the inter-vehicle distance between the driver's vehicle and the preceding vehicle from an image captured by an external camera and showing a scene in front of the driver's vehicle or a detection result from a radar sensor.

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing an example of a situation in which a preceding vehicle is identified. Fig. 3 shows the preceding vehicle N6 that runs on the same lane RA1 (running lane RA 1) as the lane of the driver vehicle M, and the inter-vehicle distance L6 between the driver vehicle M and the preceding vehicle N6. In the case shown in fig. 3, the preceding vehicle identifier 14 identifies the preceding vehicle N6 and the inter-vehicle distance L6 between the driver vehicle M and the preceding vehicle N6 based on the detection result from the external sensor 2.

When the preceding vehicle recognizer 14 recognizes the preceding vehicle, the large vehicle determiner 15 determines whether the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle based on the preceding vehicle information acquired through vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the preceding vehicle or the detection result from the external sensor 2. The large vehicle is a vehicle such as a large truck. Large vehicles may be defined by type of vehicle according to laws and regulations, or may be defined by size.

The preceding vehicle information is information related to a preceding vehicle obtained through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. It is assumed that the preceding vehicle information includes at least one of information about a vehicle type such as a large vehicle and information about a vehicle size. The large vehicle determiner 15 determines that the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle, for example, by identifying the type of the vehicle based on the preceding vehicle information.

The large vehicle determiner 15 may recognize the type of the vehicle by detecting information about the license plate of the preceding vehicle from the image captured by the external camera, and determine that the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle. The large vehicle determiner 15 may estimate the area of the back face of the preceding vehicle based on the image captured by the external camera or the detection result from the radar sensor, and determine that the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle when the area of the back face is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. The large vehicle determiner 15 may determine that the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle when the width of the preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value or the height of the preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value instead of the area of the back face being equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. The large vehicle determiner 15 may determine that the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle through machine learning from an image taken by an external camera or a detection result from a radar sensor.

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing an example of a case where the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle. Fig. 4 shows the large-sized vehicle N7 traveling on the same lane RA1 as the lane of the driver vehicle M, and the inter-vehicle distance L7 between the driver vehicle M and the large-sized vehicle N7. In the case shown in fig. 4, the large vehicle determiner 15 recognizes the type of the vehicle, for example, by detecting information on the license plate of the preceding vehicle from the image taken by the external camera, and determines that the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle.

The deceleration assisting actuator 16 assists the driver's vehicle in decelerating when the intersection right/left turn determiner 11 determines that the driver's vehicle turns right or left at the intersection. The deceleration assistance actuator 16 sends a control signal to the actuator 6, and drives a brake actuator or the like to achieve deceleration assistance. For example, the deceleration assisting actuator 16 assists the deceleration to bring the vehicle speed of the driver's vehicle to the target vehicle speed. As the target vehicle speed, a preset value may be adopted according to the situation of turning right or left at the intersection, or the value may be changed according to the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle. The deceleration assistance actuator 16 may change the details of the deceleration assistance by adjusting each parameter such as the target deceleration, the target jerk, and the deceleration assistance start timing, in addition to the target vehicle speed.

The deceleration assistance actuator 16 changes the details of the deceleration assistance according to various situations such as the presence or absence of other vehicles in the vicinity. First, a change in the details of the deceleration assistance according to the adjacent vehicle will be described.

Specifically, when it is determined that the driver vehicle turns right or left at the intersection and the adjacent vehicle travel determiner 13 determines that the adjacent vehicle turns in the same direction as the direction of the driver vehicle, the deceleration assisting actuator 16 assists the deceleration so that the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle in the traveling direction of the driver vehicle reaches a distance equal to or greater than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle. The deceleration assisting actuator 16 assists deceleration by using the vehicle speed and position of the adjacent vehicle acquired based on the detection result from the external sensor 2 so that the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle becomes a distance equal to or larger than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle. The position of the neighboring vehicle may be the relative position of the neighboring vehicle to the driver vehicle. The vehicle speed of the neighboring vehicle may be a relative vehicle speed of the neighboring vehicle to the driver vehicle.

The inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle in the traveling direction of the driver vehicle is, for example, an inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle projected onto the traveling route of the driver vehicle during a right turn or a left turn at the intersection. The inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle in the driving direction of the driver vehicle may be the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle projected onto the longitudinal axis of the driver vehicle with respect to the driver vehicle.

The target inter-driver vehicle-to-adjacent vehicle distance is a target inter-vehicle distance set as follows: so that the driver of the driver's vehicle does not feel uncomfortable with the deceleration assistance relating to the adjacent vehicle when the adjacent vehicle turns in the same direction as the direction of the driver's vehicle at the intersection. The distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle may be a preset value.

The distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle may be a different value depending on whether the driver vehicle is turning ahead of the adjacent vehicle at the intersection or the adjacent vehicle is turning ahead of the driver vehicle at the intersection. The distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle may be a different value depending on whether the driver vehicle is turning right or left. The distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle may be a different value depending on whether the driver vehicle is turning on the outside of the adjacent vehicle or on the inside of the adjacent vehicle. The target driver vehicle-to-adjacent vehicle distance may be set to different values according to the vehicle speed of the driver vehicle and the vehicle speed of the adjacent vehicle.

The deceleration assisting actuator 16 may assist the deceleration so that the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding adjacent vehicle and the driver vehicle reaches a distance equal to or greater than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle, or so that the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle reaches a distance equal to or greater than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle. It is only necessary to appropriately ensure the inter-vehicle distance between the driver's vehicle and the adjacent vehicle. The front-rear relationship between the driver's vehicle and the adjacent vehicle is not limited.

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing an example of a case where the adjacent vehicle turns in the same direction as the direction of the driver's vehicle. In fig. 5, the driver vehicle M and the adjacent vehicle N1 are about to turn right at the intersection T and advance toward the lanes RB1 and RB2, respectively. Fig. 5 shows a travel route C of the driver vehicle M and an inter-vehicle distance L1 between the driver vehicle M and the adjacent vehicle N1 in the travel direction of the driver vehicle M. The inter-vehicle distance L1 between the driver vehicle M and the adjacent vehicle N1 in the traveling direction of the driver vehicle M is, for example, an inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle M and the adjacent vehicle N1 (an inter-vehicle distance along the traveling route C of the driver vehicle M) projected onto the traveling route C of the driver vehicle M.

In the case shown in fig. 5, it is determined that the driver vehicle M is turning right at the intersection T, and the adjacent vehicle travel determiner 13 determines that the adjacent vehicle N1 is turning in the same direction as that of the driver vehicle M. Therefore, the deceleration assisting actuator 16 assists the deceleration so that the inter-vehicle distance L1 between the driver vehicle M and the adjacent vehicle N1 in the traveling direction of the driver vehicle M reaches a distance equal to or larger than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle.

Fig. 6 is a plan view showing an example of a case where the adjacent vehicle travels in a direction different from the direction of the driver's vehicle. Fig. 6 shows the neighboring vehicle N3 that travels straight through the intersection T and the inter-vehicle distance L3 between the driver vehicle M and the neighboring vehicle N3 in the traveling direction of the driving vehicle M. In the situation shown in fig. 6, the adjacent vehicle N3 is not turning in the same direction as the direction of the driver vehicle M. Therefore, the deceleration assisting actuator 16 does not need to assist the deceleration to bring the inter-vehicle distance L3 from the adjacent vehicle N3 to a distance equal to or greater than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle. The deceleration assist actuator 16 may assist deceleration caused by a right or left turn of the driver vehicle M.

Next, a change in the details of the deceleration assistance according to the preceding vehicle will be described. When it is determined that the driver vehicle turns right or left at the intersection and the preceding vehicle recognizer 14 recognizes the preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the driver vehicle, the deceleration assisting executor 16 assists the deceleration so that the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle reaches a distance equal to or greater than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle.

The target inter-driver vehicle-preceding vehicle distance is a target inter-vehicle distance set so that the driver of the driver vehicle does not have a sense of discomfort relating to the preceding vehicle. As described later, the target driver vehicle-to-preceding vehicle distance includes a target driver vehicle-to-preceding vehicle distance for a normal type vehicle and a target driver vehicle-to-preceding vehicle distance for a large vehicle. The distance between the target driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle for the large-sized vehicle is larger than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle for the general-type vehicle.

When the large-vehicle determiner 15 determines that the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle, the deceleration assisting actuator 16 assists the deceleration to increase the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle in the traveling direction of the driver vehicle, as compared to the case where it is not determined that the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle.

Specifically, the deceleration assisting actuator 16 assists the deceleration to bring the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle to a distance equal to or greater than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle for the general-type vehicle (see fig. 3). When the large vehicle determiner 15 determines that the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle, the deceleration assisting actuator 16 assists the deceleration so that the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle reaches a distance equal to or greater than the distance between the target driver vehicle for the large vehicle and the preceding vehicle (see fig. 4).

Control of the driving assistance apparatus of the first embodiment

Next, control (processing) of the driving assistance apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the deceleration assistance execution process. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing continuation of the deceleration assistance execution process. For example, when the driving assistance of the driver's vehicle is turned on, the deceleration assistance execution process shown in fig. 7 and 8 is executed.

As shown in fig. 7, in S10, the driving assistance ECU10 of the driving assistance device 100 causes the intersection right/left turn determiner 11 to recognize the intersection ahead of the driver' S vehicle. The intersection right/left turn determiner 11 identifies an intersection ahead of the driver's vehicle based on, for example, the position information of the driver's vehicle measured by the GPS receiver 1 and the map information in the map database 5.

In S11, the drive assist ECU10 causes the preceding vehicle identifier 14 to identify the preceding vehicle ahead of the driver' S vehicle. The preceding vehicle identifier 14 identifies a preceding vehicle that is traveling ahead of the driver's vehicle based on the detection result from the external sensor 2. When the preceding vehicle is recognized (S11: YES), the drive assist ECU10 proceeds to S12. When the preceding vehicle is not recognized (S11: NO), the driving assistance ECU10 proceeds to S15.

In S12, the driving assistance ECU10 causes the large-vehicle determiner 15 to determine whether the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle. The large vehicle determiner 15 determines whether the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle based on preceding vehicle information acquired through vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the preceding vehicle or a detection result from the external sensor 2. When it is determined that the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle (S12: YES), the drive assist ECU10 proceeds to S13. When it is not determined that the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle (S12: no), the driving assist ECU10 proceeds to S14.

In S13, the driving assistance ECU10 sets the target inter-driver vehicle-to-preceding vehicle distance for the large vehicle as the target inter-vehicle distance for the deceleration assistance. Then, the driving assistance ECU10 proceeds to S15.

In S14, the driving assistance ECU10 sets the target inter-driver vehicle-to-preceding vehicle distance for the normal type vehicle as the target inter-vehicle distance for deceleration assistance. The target inter-driver distance for a normal type vehicle is a target inter-vehicle distance that is smaller than the target inter-driver distance for a large vehicle. Then, the driving assistance ECU10 proceeds to S15.

In S15, the driving assistance ECU10 causes the adjacent vehicle identifier 12 to identify the adjacent vehicle. For example, the adjacent vehicle identifier 12 identifies, as an adjacent vehicle, another vehicle that is traveling in the same direction as the direction of the driver vehicle on one side of the driver vehicle within an adjacent vehicle identification range preset with respect to the driver vehicle. When the adjacent vehicle is identified (S15: YES), the drive assist ECU10 proceeds to S18. When the adjacent vehicle is not recognized (S15: NO), the driving assist ECU10 proceeds to S16.

In S16, the driving assistance ECU10 causes the intersection right/left turn determiner 11 to determine whether the driver' S vehicle is turning right or left at the intersection. The intersection right/left turn determiner 11 determines whether the driver's vehicle turns right or left at the intersection based on the driving operation of the driver detected by the driving operation detector 4. The intersection right/left turn determiner 11 recognizes which of the right and left turns the driver's vehicle makes at the intersection. When it is determined that the driver' S vehicle is turning right or left at the intersection (S16: yes), the driving assist ECU10 proceeds to S17. When it is not determined that the driver' S vehicle is turning right or left at the intersection (S16: no), the driving assistance ECU10 terminates the current deceleration assistance execution process. Then, after the predetermined period has elapsed, the driving assistance ECU10 repeats the processing from S10.

In S17, the driving assistance ECU10 assists the deceleration by the deceleration assistance actuator 16. The deceleration assistance actuator 16 sends a control signal to the actuator 6 to assist in decelerating the driver's vehicle to turn right or left at the intersection. When the distance between the target driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle for the general type vehicle or the distance between the target driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle for the large type vehicle is set, the deceleration assisting actuator 16 assists the deceleration so that the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the driver vehicle reaches a distance equal to or greater than the set distance between the target driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle. Then, the driving assistance ECU10 terminates the current deceleration assistance execution process. After the predetermined period has elapsed, the driving assistance ECU10 repeats the processing from S10.

In S18, the driving assistance ECU10 causes the deceleration assistance executor 16 to set the details of the deceleration assistance for the case where the adjacent vehicle turns right or left in the same direction. Assuming that the driver vehicle turns right or left at the intersection and the adjacent vehicle turns right or left in the same direction as the direction of the driver vehicle, the deceleration assistance actuator 16 sets the details of the deceleration assistance based on the position of the adjacent vehicle and the vehicle speed detected by the external sensor 2. Details of the deceleration assistance include a target vehicle speed of the deceleration assistance and a distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle. When the distance between the target driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle for the general type vehicle or the distance between the target driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle for the large vehicle is set, the details of the deceleration assistance include the distance between the target driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle for the general type vehicle or the distance between the target driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle for the large vehicle.

By presetting the details of the deceleration assistance in this way, the driving assistance ECU10 can easily start the deceleration assistance immediately after determining the right or left turn about the driver's vehicle and the right or left turn in the same direction of the adjacent vehicle. Then, the driving assist ECU10 proceeds to S19 shown in fig. 8.

In S19 of fig. 8, the drive assist ECU10 causes the intersection right/left turn determiner 11 to determine whether the driver' S vehicle is turning right or left at the intersection. The determination processing of S19 is the same as the determination processing of S16 of fig. 7. When it is determined that the driver' S vehicle is turning right or left at the intersection (S19: yes), the driving assist ECU10 proceeds to S20. When it is not determined that the driver' S vehicle is turning right or left at the intersection (S19: no), the drive assist ECU10 terminates the current deceleration assist execution process. Then, after the predetermined period of time has elapsed, the driving assistance ECU10 repeats the processing from S10.

In S20, the driving assistance ECU10 causes the adjacent vehicle travel determiner 13 to determine whether the adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the direction of the driver' S vehicle. The adjacent vehicle travel determiner 13 determines whether the adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the direction of the driver's vehicle, based on adjacent vehicle information acquired through inter-vehicle communication with the adjacent vehicle or a detection result from the external sensor 2. When it is determined that the adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the direction of the driver' S vehicle (S20: YES), the drive assist ECU10 proceeds to S21. When it is not determined that the adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the direction of the driver' S vehicle (S20: no), the driving assistance ECU10 proceeds to S22.

In S21, the driving assistance ECU10 causes the deceleration assistance actuator 16 to assist the deceleration so that the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle in the traveling direction of the driver vehicle reaches a distance equal to or greater than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle. For example, the deceleration assistance executor 16 carries out the details of the deceleration assistance preset in S18 to assist the deceleration so that the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle reaches a distance equal to or greater than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle. When the vehicle speed of the adjacent vehicle abruptly changes, the deceleration assistance executor 16 may calculate the details of the deceleration assistance based on, for example, the current vehicle speed of the adjacent vehicle. Then, the driving assistance ECU10 terminates the current deceleration assistance execution process. After the predetermined period has elapsed, the driving assistance ECU10 repeats the processing from S10.

In S22, the driving assistance ECU10 assists the deceleration by the deceleration assistance actuator 16. When a distance between a target driver vehicle and a preceding vehicle for a general type vehicle or a distance between a target driver vehicle and a preceding vehicle for a large vehicle is set, deceleration is assisted so that an inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the driver vehicle reaches a distance equal to or greater than the set distance between the target driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle. Then, the driving assistance ECU10 terminates the current deceleration assistance execution process.

After the predetermined period has elapsed, the driving assistance ECU10 repeats the processing from S10.

The deceleration assistance execution process is not limited to the above-described details. For example, the determinations at S11 and S12 may be performed after determining that the driver' S vehicle turns right or left at the intersection. The same applies to the determination in S15 regarding the adjacent vehicle. It is not always necessary to preset the details of the deceleration assistance in S18. The details of the deceleration assistance may be determined after it is determined that the adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the direction of the driver's vehicle.

According to the driving assistance apparatus 100 of the first embodiment described above, when it is determined that the adjacent vehicle turns in the same direction as the direction of the driver's vehicle while the driver's vehicle turns right or left at the intersection, deceleration is assisted so that the inter-vehicle distance between the driver's vehicle and the adjacent vehicle in the traveling direction of the driver's vehicle reaches a distance equal to or greater than the target inter-vehicle distance. Therefore, the driver's sense of discomfort with respect to the deceleration assistance can be reduced as compared with the case where the deceleration is assisted without taking the adjacent vehicle into consideration.

According to this driving assistance device 100, when it is determined that the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle while the driver vehicle is turning right or left at the intersection, deceleration is assisted to increase the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle in the traveling direction of the driver vehicle, as compared with the case where it is not determined that the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle. Therefore, compared to the case where the deceleration assistance is performed without considering whether or not the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle, the driver can be less uncomfortable with the deceleration assistance.

Second embodiment

Next, a driving assist device according to a second embodiment will be described. The same or corresponding components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

Configuration of driving assistance apparatus of the second embodiment

Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing a driving assistance apparatus according to a second embodiment. The driving assist ECU20 of the driving assist device 200 according to the second embodiment shown in fig. 9 differs from the driving assist ECU according to the first embodiment in that an adjacent vehicle travel determiner (adjacent vehicle travel determining unit) 21 and a deceleration assist actuator (deceleration assist executing unit) 27 have additional functions, and the driving assist ECU20 includes a visibility condition determiner (visibility condition determining unit) 22, a crosswalk determiner (crosswalk determining unit) 23, an obstacle determiner (obstacle determining unit) 24, an accelerator operation determiner (accelerator operation determining unit) 25, and a turn signal operation determiner (turn signal operation determining unit) 26.

When it is determined that the adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the direction of the driver's vehicle, the adjacent vehicle running determiner 21 determines whether the driver's vehicle is turning on the outer side of the adjacent vehicle or on the inner side of the adjacent vehicle. The adjacent vehicle travel determiner 21 makes the above determination based on the detection result from the external sensor 2.

Fig. 10 is a plan view showing an example of a case where the driver's vehicle turns on the outer side of the adjacent vehicle. Fig. 11 is a plan view showing a situation where the driver's vehicle turns at the intersection before the adjacent vehicle. As shown in fig. 10 and 11, when the driver vehicle M turns right at the intersection T with the adjacent vehicle N4, the driver vehicle M traveling on the lane RA1 (traveling lane RA 1) located on the left side of the lane RA2 (adjacent lane RA 2) in which the adjacent vehicle N4 travels turns outside the adjacent vehicle N4. Therefore, in the case shown in fig. 10, the adjacent vehicle running determiner 21 determines that the driver vehicle M is turning outside the adjacent vehicle N4.

When it is determined that the driver's vehicle is turning on the outside of the adjacent vehicle, the adjacent vehicle travel determiner 21 determines whether the driver's vehicle is expected to pass through the intersection before the adjacent vehicle at a vehicle speed equal to or lower than the upper limit target vehicle speed. The upper limit target vehicle speed is preset according to the purpose of deceleration assistance during a right or left turn at the intersection. The adjacent vehicle travel determiner 21 makes the above determination by using the relative position of the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle and the relative vehicle speed, based on the detection result from the external sensor 2.

When the driver vehicle is traveling ahead of the adjacent vehicle at a vehicle speed equal to or lower than the upper limit target vehicle speed and the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle can be maintained at a distance equal to or greater than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle, the adjacent vehicle travel determiner 21 may determine that the driver vehicle is expected to pass through the intersection before the adjacent vehicle at a vehicle speed equal to or lower than the upper limit target vehicle speed. Alternatively, when the driver vehicle is able to travel ahead of the adjacent vehicle at a vehicle speed equal to or lower than the upper limit target vehicle speed, the adjacent vehicle travel determiner 21 may determine that the driver vehicle is expected to pass through the intersection ahead of the adjacent vehicle at a vehicle speed equal to or lower than the upper limit target vehicle speed despite the inter-vehicle distance being smaller than the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle.

Fig. 12 is a plan view showing an example of a case where the driver's vehicle turns inside the adjacent vehicle. In fig. 12, a lane RA3 (traveling lane RA 3) in which the driver vehicle M is traveling is located on the left side of a lane RA1 (adjacent lane RA 1) in which the adjacent vehicle N4 is traveling.

In the case shown in fig. 12, when the driver vehicle M and the adjacent vehicle N4 turn left at the intersection T, the driver vehicle M traveling on the lane RA3 located on the left side of the lane RA1 in which the adjacent vehicle N4 is traveling turns inside the adjacent vehicle N4. Therefore, in the case shown in fig. 12, the adjacent vehicle running determiner 21 determines that the driver vehicle M is turning inside the adjacent vehicle N4.

The visibility condition determiner 22 determines whether or not a visibility deterioration situation occurs around the driver's vehicle. The visibility condition determiner 22 makes the above determination based on at least one of an image taken by an external camera of the driver's vehicle, a wiper operation state of the driver's vehicle, a high beam lighting state of headlights of the driver's vehicle, weather information around the driver's vehicle acquired from the communication network, and traffic-related information around the driver's vehicle acquired from the communication network.

The visibility deterioration situation is a situation in which the visibility level of the driver is reduced. Visibility worsening situation includes at least one of: bad weather conditions such as rain, snow or typhoon, poor visibility due to the shape of the intersection, backlit conditions due to sunset or road surface reflections, and dark conditions due to shadows of nighttime or building structures.

The severe weather condition may be determined based on at least one of an image taken by an external camera of the driver's vehicle, a wiper operation state of the driver's vehicle, and weather information around the driver's vehicle acquired from the communication network. The poor view condition may be determined based on an image taken by an external camera of the driver's vehicle or traffic-related information around the driver's vehicle acquired from a communication network. The poor visual field condition may be determined by using position information of the driver's vehicle and map information. The backlight condition may be determined based on images captured by an external camera of the driver's vehicle. The dark condition may be determined based on an image taken by an external camera of the driver's vehicle or a high beam illumination state of headlamps of the driver's vehicle.

The crosswalk determiner 23 determines whether there is a crosswalk at a point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left. The crosswalk determiner 23 makes the above determination based on at least one of the position of the driver's vehicle on the map and the map information in the map database 5, the detection result from the external sensor 2, and the traffic-related information around the driver's vehicle acquired from the communication network. The external sensor recognizes a crosswalk at a place to be reached after a right turn or a left turn by, for example, image recognition using an external camera. In this case, the traffic-related information includes information related to elements such as crosswalks at intersections and traffic lights.

The obstacle determiner 24 determines whether there is an obstacle at a point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left. The obstacle determiner 24 performs the determination based on at least one of the detection result from the external sensor 2, the surrounding environment information acquired by performing inter-vehicle communication with other vehicles around the driver's vehicle, and the traffic-related information around the driver's vehicle acquired from the communication network. Examples of obstacles include stationary vehicles (including vehicles that temporarily stop due to traffic congestion), parked vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles on the road to be reached after a right or left turn.

The surrounding environment information acquired by the inter-vehicle communication with the other vehicles around the driver's vehicle is, for example, image information around a preceding vehicle in front of the driver's vehicle acquired from the preceding vehicle and obtained from an external camera of the preceding vehicle. The obstacle determiner 24 may directly acquire information about an obstacle recognized by a preceding vehicle or the like as the surrounding environment information acquired through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication. In this case, the traffic-related information includes image information obtained by an intersection imaging camera that images the intersection from above. Various other methods may be employed to identify the obstacle.

The accelerator operation determiner 25 determines whether the accelerator release timing of the right or left turn of the driver at the intersection is earlier than a first timing threshold. The accelerator operation determiner 25 makes the above determination based on the position of the driver's vehicle on the map, the map information in the map database 5, and the detection result of the driving operation of the driver by the driving operation detector 4.

The accelerator release timing is a timing at which the driver releases the accelerator pedal before turning right or left at the intersection. The accelerator operation determiner 25 determines the accelerator release timing based on the remaining arrival period required for the driver's vehicle to reach the intersection or the arrival distance of the driver's vehicle to the intersection. The remaining arrival period may be identified as a Time To Collision (TTC) for the intersection.

The first time threshold is a preset threshold. For example, the first timing threshold may be a time when statistically a typical driver releases the accelerator pedal while turning to the right or left of the intersection. The first time threshold may be a different value depending on whether the driver is turning the vehicle right or left.

The turn signal operation determiner 26 determines whether the turn signal operation time of the driver for a right or left turn at the intersection is earlier than a second time threshold. The turn signal operation determiner 26 makes the above determination based on the position of the driver's vehicle on the map, the map information in the map database 5, and the detection result of the turn signal operation of the driver by the driving operation detector 4.

The turn signal operation timing is a timing at which the driver operates the turn signal before turning right or left at the intersection. The turn signal operation determiner 26 determines the turn signal operation timing based on the remaining arrival period required for the driver's vehicle to reach the intersection or the arrival distance of the driver's vehicle to the intersection.

The second time threshold is a preset threshold. For example, the second time threshold may be a time at which statistically a typical driver operates the turn signal light when turning right or left at the intersection. The second time threshold may be a different value depending on whether the driver is turning the vehicle to the right or to the left.

When the adjacent vehicle travel determiner 21 determines that the driver vehicle is expected to pass through the intersection before the adjacent vehicle at a vehicle speed equal to or lower than the upper limit target vehicle speed, the deceleration assist actuator 27 adjusts the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assist to cause the driver vehicle to pass through the intersection before the adjacent vehicle. Specifically, the deceleration assisting actuator 27 assists the deceleration by adjusting the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assisting in the situation shown in fig. 10 to make the driver's vehicle M pass through the intersection before the adjacent vehicle N4, as shown in fig. 11. The deceleration assisting actuator 27 assists the deceleration so that the inter-vehicle distance L4 between the driver vehicle M and the adjacent vehicle N4 reaches a distance equal to or larger than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle.

The deceleration assistance actuator 27 may prioritize forward travel of the driver vehicle over the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle. That is, even if the inter-vehicle distance L4 between the driver vehicle M and the adjacent vehicle N4 in fig. 11 is smaller than the target inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle, the deceleration assistance executor 27 may steer the driver vehicle M preferentially ahead of the adjacent vehicle N4.

When the accelerator operation by the driver is detected, the deceleration assisting actuator 27 may adjust the target inter-vehicle distance of the deceleration assistance while prioritizing forward traveling of the driver vehicle over the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle. When the accelerator operation by the driver is not detected, the deceleration assisting actuator 27 may prioritize a case where the adjacent vehicle is driven in front of the driver vehicle while the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle reaches a distance equal to or greater than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle. The deceleration assistance actuator 27 may prioritize the forward travel of the driver vehicle over the adjustment of the target vehicle speed under various conditions described later.

As shown in fig. 12, when the adjacent vehicle running determiner 21 determines that the driven vehicle M turns inside the adjacent vehicle N4, the driven vehicle M does not need to run ahead of the adjacent vehicle N4 because the ahead running of the adjacent vehicle N4 does not hinder visibility in the running direction of the driver of the driven vehicle M. Therefore, the deceleration assistance performing portion 27 assists the deceleration so that the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle M and the adjacent vehicle N4 reaches a distance equal to or greater than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle.

When the visibility condition determiner 22 determines that the visibility deteriorating situation occurs around the driver's vehicle, the deceleration assisting executor 27 reduces the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assisting, as compared with the case where it is not determined that the visibility deteriorating situation occurs around the driver's vehicle. The deceleration assisting actuator 27 reduces the target vehicle speed by a preset fixed amount or at a preset fixed rate. The deceleration assisting actuator 27 may change the amount of reduction or the rate of reduction of the target vehicle speed in accordance with the type of visibility deterioration situation.

When the crosswalk determiner 23 determines that there is a crosswalk at the point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left, the deceleration assistance executor 27 reduces the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assistance, as compared to the case where it is not determined that there is a crosswalk at the point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left. The deceleration assisting actuator 27 reduces the target vehicle speed by a preset fixed amount or at a preset fixed rate.

When the obstacle determiner 24 determines that there is an obstacle at the point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left, the deceleration assist performing portion 27 decreases the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assist, as compared to the case where it is not determined that there is an obstacle at the point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left. The deceleration assisting actuator 27 reduces the target vehicle speed by a preset fixed amount or at a preset fixed rate. The deceleration assisting actuator 27 may change the reduction amount or the reduction rate of the target vehicle speed according to the type of the obstacle.

When the accelerator operation determiner 25 determines that the accelerator release timing of the driver for a right or left turn at the intersection is earlier than the first timing threshold, the deceleration assisting actuator 27 lowers the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assisting, as compared with the case where it is not determined that the accelerator release timing of the driver is earlier than the first timing threshold. The deceleration assisting actuator 27 reduces the target vehicle speed by a preset fixed amount or at a preset fixed rate. The deceleration assisting actuator 27 may gradually decrease the target vehicle speed by setting a plurality of threshold values.

When the turn signal operation determiner 26 determines that the turn signal operation timing of the driver for a right or left turn at the intersection is earlier than the second timing threshold, the deceleration assistance executor 27 decreases the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assistance, as compared to the case where it is not determined that the turn signal operation timing of the driver is earlier than the second timing threshold. The deceleration assisting actuator 27 reduces the target vehicle speed by a preset fixed amount or at a preset fixed rate. The deceleration assisting actuator 27 may gradually decrease the target vehicle speed by setting a plurality of thresholds. The deceleration assisting actuator 27 does not reduce the target vehicle speed to a value equal to or lower than a preset lower limit target vehicle speed.

The deceleration assisting actuator 27 may reduce the target vehicle speed during the deceleration assisting when making a right turn or a left turn from the road with the large number of lanes to the road with the small number of lanes based on the shape of the intersection, as compared with the case of making a right turn or a left turn from the road with the small number of lanes to the road with the large number of lanes. The deceleration assistance executor 27 may change the distance between the target driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle and/or the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle to a larger value, instead of reducing the target degree of vehicle as described above.

Control of the driving assist device of the second embodiment

Next, control (processing) of the driving assistance apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing continuation of the deceleration assistance execution process according to the second embodiment. The flowchart shown in fig. 13 is another example of a continuation of the flowchart of fig. 7.

In S30 of fig. 13, the driving assistance ECU20 of the driving assistance apparatus 200 causes the intersection right/left turn determiner 11 to determine whether the driver' S vehicle is turning right or left at the intersection. When it is determined that the driver' S vehicle is turning right or left at the intersection (S30: YES), the drive assist ECU20 proceeds to S31. When it is not determined that the driver' S vehicle is turning right or left at the intersection (S30: no), the drive assist ECU20 terminates the current deceleration assist execution process. Then, after the predetermined period of time has elapsed, the driving assistance ECU20 repeats the processing from S10 (fig. 7).

In S31, the driving assistance ECU20 causes the adjacent vehicle travel determiner 21 to determine whether the adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the direction of the driver' S vehicle. When it is determined that the adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the direction of the driver' S vehicle (S31: YES), the drive assist ECU20 proceeds to S33. When it is not determined that the adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the direction of the driver' S vehicle (S31: no), the driving assist ECU20 proceeds to S32.

In S32, the driving assistance ECU20 assists the deceleration by the deceleration assistance actuator 27. When a distance between a target driver vehicle and a preceding vehicle for a general type vehicle or a distance between a target driver vehicle and a preceding vehicle for a large vehicle is set, deceleration is assisted so that an inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the driver vehicle becomes a distance equal to or greater than the set distance between the target driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle. Then, the driving assistance ECU20 terminates the current deceleration assistance execution process. After the predetermined period of time has elapsed, the driving assistance ECU20 repeats the processing from S10.

In S33, the driving assistance ECU20 causes the adjacent vehicle travel determiner 21 to determine whether the driver vehicle is turning on the outside of the adjacent vehicle or turning on the inside of the adjacent vehicle. The adjacent vehicle travel determiner 21 makes the above determination based on the detection result from the external sensor 2. When it is determined that the driver' S vehicle is turning on the outer side of the adjacent vehicle (S33: YES), the drive assist ECU20 proceeds to S34. When it is not determined that the driver' S vehicle is turning on the outer side of the adjacent vehicle (S33: no), the driving assist ECU20 proceeds to S35.

In S34, the drive assist ECU20 causes the adjacent vehicle travel determiner 21 to determine whether the driver vehicle is expected to pass through the intersection before the adjacent vehicle at a vehicle speed equal to or lower than the upper limit target vehicle speed. The adjacent vehicle travel determiner 21 makes the above determination by using the relative position of the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle and the relative vehicle speed, based on the detection result from the external sensor 2. When it is determined that the driver' S vehicle is expected to pass through the intersection before the adjacent vehicle at a vehicle speed equal to or lower than the upper-limit target vehicle speed (S34: YES), the driving assist ECU20 proceeds to S36. When it is not determined that the driver' S vehicle is expected to pass through the intersection before the adjacent vehicle at a vehicle speed equal to or lower than the upper-limit target vehicle speed (S34: NO), the drive assist ECU20 proceeds to S35.

In S35, the driving assistance ECU20 causes the deceleration assistance actuator 27 to assist the deceleration so that the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle reaches a distance equal to or greater than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle. In this case, the driver vehicle may travel in front, or the adjacent vehicle may travel in front. Then, the driving assistance ECU20 terminates the current deceleration assistance execution process. After the predetermined period has elapsed, the driving assistance ECU20 repeats the processing from S10.

In S36, the driving assistance ECU20 causes the deceleration assistance actuator 27 to assist the deceleration so that the inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle in front and the adjacent vehicle reaches a distance equal to or greater than the distance between the target driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle. The deceleration assisting actuator 27 may prioritize the forward travel of the driver's vehicle over a situation where the inter-vehicle distance is equal to or greater than the target driver's vehicle-to-adjacent vehicle distance. Then, the driving assistance ECU20 terminates the current deceleration assistance execution process. After the predetermined period of time has elapsed, the driving assistance ECU20 repeats the processing from S10.

Fig. 14A is a flowchart showing an example of visibility deterioration situation determination processing. For example, when it is determined that the driver's vehicle is turning right or left at the intersection, the visibility deterioration situation determination process shown in fig. 14A is executed.

As shown in fig. 14A, the driving assistance ECU20 causes the visibility condition determiner 22 to determine whether or not a visibility deterioration situation occurs around the driver' S vehicle in S40. When it is determined that a visibility deterioration situation occurs around the driver' S vehicle (S40: YES), the driving assistance ECU20 proceeds to S41. When it is not determined that a visibility deterioration situation occurs around the driver' S vehicle (S40: no), the driving assist ECU20 terminates the present process.

In S41, the driving assistance ECU20 causes the deceleration assistance actuator 27 to reduce the target vehicle speed during deceleration assistance. For example, the deceleration assisting actuator 27 decreases the target vehicle speed by a preset fixed amount or at a preset fixed rate.

Fig. 14B is a flowchart showing an example of the crosswalk determination process. For example, when it is determined that the driver's vehicle turns right or left at the intersection, the crosswalk determination process shown in fig. 14B is executed.

As shown in fig. 14B, the driving assist ECU20 causes the crosswalk determiner 23 to determine in S50 whether there is a crosswalk at a point to be reached after the driver' S vehicle turns right or left. When it is determined that there is a crosswalk at the point to be reached after the driver' S vehicle turns right or left (S50: yes), the driving assist ECU20 proceeds to S51. When it is not determined that there is a crosswalk at the point to be reached after the driver' S vehicle turns right or left (S50: no), the driving assist ECU20 terminates the present process.

In S51, the driving assistance ECU20 causes the deceleration assistance actuator 27 to reduce the target vehicle speed during deceleration assistance. For example, the deceleration assisting actuator 27 decreases the target vehicle speed by a preset fixed amount or at a preset fixed rate.

Fig. 14C is a flowchart showing an example of the obstacle determination processing. For example, when it is determined that the driver's vehicle turns right or left at the intersection, the obstacle determination process shown in fig. 14C is executed.

As shown in fig. 14C, the driving assist ECU20 causes the obstacle determiner 24 to determine in S60 whether there is an obstacle at a point to be reached after the driver' S vehicle turns right or left. When it is determined that there is an obstacle at the point to be reached after the driver' S vehicle turns right or left (S60: yes), the driving assist ECU20 proceeds to S61. When it is not determined that there is an obstacle at the point to be reached after the driver' S vehicle turns right or left (S60: no), the driving assist ECU20 terminates the present process.

In S61, the driving assistance ECU20 causes the deceleration assistance actuator 27 to reduce the target vehicle speed during deceleration assistance. For example, the deceleration assisting actuator 27 decreases the target vehicle speed by a preset fixed amount or at a preset fixed rate.

Fig. 15A is a flowchart showing an example of the accelerator release determination processing. For example, when it is determined that the driver's vehicle is turning right or left at the intersection, the accelerator release determination process shown in fig. 15A is executed.

As shown in fig. 15A, the driving assist ECU20 causes the accelerator operation determiner 25 to determine in S70 whether the accelerator release timing of the driver is earlier than a first timing threshold. When it is determined that the accelerator release timing of the driver is earlier than the first timing threshold (S70: YES), the drive assist ECU20 proceeds to S71. When it is not determined that the accelerator release timing of the driver is earlier than the first timing threshold (S70: no), the driving assist ECU20 terminates the present process.

In S71, the driving assistance ECU20 causes the deceleration assistance actuator 27 to decrease the target vehicle speed during deceleration assistance. For example, the deceleration assisting actuator 27 decreases the target vehicle speed by a preset fixed amount or at a preset fixed rate.

Fig. 15B is a flowchart showing an example of the turn signal lamp operation timing determination process. For example, when it is determined that the driver's vehicle is turning right or left at the intersection, the turn signal lamp operation timing determination process shown in fig. 15B is executed.

As shown in fig. 15B, the drive assist ECU20 causes the turn signal lamp operation determiner 26 to determine whether the driver' S turn signal lamp operation timing is earlier than the second timing threshold in S80. When it is determined that the driver' S turn signal lamp operation timing is earlier than the second timing threshold (S80: YES), the drive assist ECU20 proceeds to S81. When it is not determined that the driver' S turn signal lamp operation timing is earlier than the second timing threshold (S80: no), the driving assist ECU20 terminates the present process.

In S81, the driving assistance ECU20 causes the deceleration assistance actuator 27 to reduce the target vehicle speed during deceleration assistance. For example, the deceleration assisting actuator 27 decreases the target vehicle speed by a preset fixed amount or at a preset fixed rate.

According to the driving assistance apparatus 200 of the second embodiment described above, when the adjacent vehicle travel determiner 21 determines that the driver vehicle is turning outside the adjacent vehicle and the driver vehicle is expected to pass through the intersection before the adjacent vehicle at a vehicle speed equal to or lower than the upper limit target vehicle speed, the target vehicle speed in deceleration assistance is adjusted so that the driver vehicle passes through the intersection before the adjacent vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of a situation in which the forward travel of the adjacent vehicle obstructs the field of view of the driver vehicle when the driver vehicle turns on the outer side of the adjacent vehicle.

According to the driving assistance apparatus 200, the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assistance is lowered when the visibility condition determiner 22 determines that a visibility deterioration situation occurs around the driver's vehicle, as compared to a case where it is not determined that the visibility deterioration situation occurs around the driver's vehicle. Therefore, the driver's uncomfortable feeling of the deceleration assistance can be reduced as compared with the case where the visibility deterioration situation is not considered.

According to this driving assistance device 200, the target vehicle speed in deceleration assistance is reduced when the crosswalk determiner 23 determines that there is a crosswalk at a point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left, as compared to a case where it is not determined that there is a crosswalk at a point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left. Therefore, compared to a case where the presence of the crosswalk is not considered, the driver can be less uncomfortable with the deceleration assistance.

According to the driving assist device 200, the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assist is reduced when the obstacle determiner 24 determines that there is an obstacle at the arrival point after the driver's vehicle turns right or left, as compared to the case where it is not determined that there is an obstacle at the arrival point after the driver's vehicle turns right or left. Therefore, compared to a case where the presence of the obstacle is not considered, the driver can be less likely to feel uncomfortable with the deceleration assistance.

According to this driving assistance device 200, the target vehicle speed in deceleration assistance is reduced when the accelerator operation determiner 25 determines that the accelerator release timing is earlier than the first timing threshold, as compared to the case where it is not determined that the accelerator release timing is earlier than the first timing threshold. Therefore, the driver's uncomfortable feeling of the deceleration assistance can be reduced as compared with the case where the accelerator release timing is not considered.

According to this driving assistance device 200, the target vehicle speed during deceleration assistance is reduced when the turn signal operation determiner 26 determines that the turn signal operation time is earlier than the second time threshold value, as compared to a case where it is not determined that the turn signal operation time is earlier than the second time threshold value. Therefore, the driver's uncomfortable feeling of the deceleration assistance can be reduced as compared with the case where the turn signal operation timing is not considered.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The present invention may be embodied in various forms with various changes and modifications based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the above-described embodiments.

The driving

assist devices

100 and 200 do not have to determine whether the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle. The driving

assistance apparatuses

100 and 200 can assist deceleration by using the same distance between the target driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle regardless of the size of the preceding vehicle. The driving

assistance devices

100 and 200 do not have to take into account the presence of the preceding vehicle to assist deceleration. In this case, the driving assist

ECUs

10 and 20 do not necessarily have the preceding vehicle identifier 14 and the large vehicle determiner 15.

The driving assistance device 200 does not need to have the visibility condition determiner 22, the crosswalk determiner 23, the obstacle determiner 24, the accelerator operation determiner 25, and the turn signal operation determiner 26. The driving assistance apparatus 200 may or may not have any of the visibility condition determiner 22, the crosswalk determiner 23, the obstacle determiner 24, the accelerator operation determiner 25, and the turn signal operation determiner 26.

Claims

1. A driving assistance apparatus configured to perform deceleration assistance for a driver vehicle when the driver vehicle turns right or left at an intersection, characterized by comprising:

an adjacent vehicle identifier configured to identify an adjacent vehicle that travels on an adjacent lane adjacent to a traveling lane of the driver vehicle based on a detection result from an external sensor of the driver vehicle;

an adjacent vehicle travel determiner configured to determine whether the adjacent vehicle turns in the same direction as the driver vehicle at the intersection, based on adjacent vehicle information acquired through inter-vehicle communication with the adjacent vehicle or a detection result from the external sensor, when the adjacent vehicle is identified by the adjacent vehicle identifier and the driver vehicle turns right or left at the intersection; and

a deceleration assistance executor configured to execute the deceleration assistance so that an inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the adjacent vehicle in a traveling direction of the driver vehicle reaches a distance equal to or greater than a preset target inter-driver vehicle and adjacent vehicle distance, when the adjacent vehicle traveling determiner determines that the adjacent vehicle is turning in the same direction as the driver vehicle.

2. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising:

a preceding vehicle identifier configured to identify a preceding vehicle that runs ahead of the driver vehicle based on a detection result from the external sensor; and

a large vehicle determiner configured to determine whether the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle based on preceding vehicle information acquired through inter-vehicle communication with the preceding vehicle or a detection result from the external sensor when the preceding vehicle is recognized by the preceding vehicle recognizer, wherein,

the deceleration assistance executor is configured to execute the deceleration assistance to increase an inter-vehicle distance between the driver vehicle and the preceding vehicle when the large vehicle determiner determines that the preceding vehicle is the large vehicle, as compared to a case where the large vehicle determiner does not determine that the preceding vehicle is the large vehicle.

3. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by further comprising: a visibility condition determiner configured to determine whether a visibility deterioration situation occurs around the driver vehicle based on at least one of an image taken by an external camera of the driver vehicle, a wiper operation state of the driver vehicle, a high beam illumination state of headlamps of the driver vehicle, weather information around the driver vehicle acquired from a communication network, and traffic-related information around the driver vehicle acquired from the communication network, wherein,

the deceleration assistance actuator is configured to decrease the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assistance when the visibility condition determiner determines that the visibility deteriorating situation occurs around the driver vehicle, as compared to a case where the visibility condition determiner does not determine that the visibility deteriorating situation occurs around the driver vehicle.

4. The driving assistance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by further comprising: a crosswalk determiner configured to determine whether a crosswalk is present at a place to be reached after a right turn or a left turn of the driver vehicle based on at least one of a position of the driver vehicle on a map and map information, a detection result from the external sensor, and traffic-related information around the driver vehicle acquired from a communication network, wherein,

the deceleration assistance executor is configured to reduce the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assistance when the crosswalk determiner determines that the crosswalk is present at the point to be reached after the driver vehicle turns right or left, as compared to a case where the crosswalk determiner does not determine that the crosswalk is present at the point to be reached after the driver vehicle turns right or left.

5. The driving assistance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by further comprising: an obstacle determiner configured to determine whether there is an obstacle at a place to be reached after a right turn or a left turn of the driver vehicle based on at least one of a detection result from the external sensor, surrounding environment information acquired through inter-vehicle communication with other vehicles around the driver vehicle, and traffic-related information around the driver vehicle acquired from a communication network, wherein,

the deceleration assistance executor is configured to reduce the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assistance when the obstacle determiner determines that the obstacle is present at the point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left, as compared to a case where the obstacle determiner does not determine that the obstacle is present at the point to be reached after the driver's vehicle turns right or left.

6. The driving assistance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by further comprising:

a driving operation detector configured to detect a driving operation of a driver of the driver vehicle; and

an accelerator operation determiner configured to determine whether an accelerator release timing of the driver for a right or left turn at the intersection is earlier than a first timing threshold based on a position of the driver vehicle on a map, map information, and a detection result of a driving operation of the driver by the driving operation detector, wherein,

the deceleration assist actuator is configured to decrease the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assist when the accelerator operation determiner determines that the accelerator release timing is earlier than the first timing threshold, as compared to a case where the accelerator operation determiner does not determine that the accelerator release timing is earlier than the first timing threshold.

7. The driving assistance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by further comprising:

a driving operation detector configured to detect at least an operation on a turn signal lamp as a driving operation of a driver of the driver's vehicle; and

a turn signal lamp operation determiner configured to determine whether a turn signal lamp operation timing of the driver for a right or left turn at the intersection is earlier than a second timing threshold based on a position of the driver vehicle on a map, map information, and a detection result of the driver's operation on the turn signal lamp by the driving operation detector, wherein,

the deceleration assist actuator is configured to decrease the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assist when the turn signal operation determiner determines that the turn signal operation time is earlier than the second time threshold, as compared to a case where the turn signal operation determiner does not determine that the turn signal operation time is earlier than the second time threshold.

8. The driving assistance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the adjacent vehicle travel determiner is configured to:

determining whether the driver vehicle turns on the outer side of the adjacent vehicle or on the inner side of the adjacent vehicle when the adjacent vehicle travel determiner determines that the adjacent vehicle turns in the same direction as the driver vehicle at the intersection, and

determining whether the driver vehicle is expected to pass through the intersection ahead of the adjacent vehicle at a vehicle speed equal to or lower than a preset upper-limit target vehicle speed, based on a detection result from the external sensor, when the adjacent vehicle travel determiner determines that the driver vehicle is turning outside the adjacent vehicle; and is provided with

The deceleration assistance executor is configured to adjust the target vehicle speed in the deceleration assistance to cause the driver vehicle to pass through the intersection before the adjacent vehicle when the adjacent vehicle travel determiner determines that the driver vehicle is expected to pass through the intersection before the adjacent vehicle at the vehicle speed that is equal to or lower than the upper limit target vehicle speed.